Scientists Find Clue to Toughening Vital Plants

A team of scientists at the University of Western Australia led by Winthrop Professor Steven Smith of the Australian Research Council Center of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology has discovered that the steroid growth hormone brassinosteroid is the key signaling molecule on how plants respond to extreme environmental changes. The research work was an offshoot of previous research pointing to the presence of a ‘quality control' (QC) system in the internal membranes of plant cells that is triggered by environmental stresses.

The paper published in the American Association for the Advancement of Science reports that brassinosteroid is the signaling molecule and that the QC system directly activates the brassinosteroid sensing that provides stress tolerance. In addition, QC defective mutants sensitive to the stress could be made resistant by directly activating the steroid response system.

"Our discovery - a great piece of scientific detective work - shows that a plant does not just succumb to whatever the weather serves up: it responds positively by putting energy into continued growth even under difficult circumstances. This finding opens a new door to find ways to identify or select plants that perform better in difficult conditions," Professor Smith said.

Details of this news can be viewed at  http://www.news.uwa.edu.au/201009242898/international/scientist-detectives-find-clue-toughening-vital-plants